
306 Electric Motors and Drives
Figure 9.6 Self-synchronous motor/inverter system. In large sizes this
arrangement is sometimes referred to as a 'synchdrive'; in smaller sizes
it would be known as a brushless d.c. motor drive
In simple cost terms the self-synchronous system looks
attractive when the combined cost of the inverter and syn-
chronous motor is lower than that of the equivalent d.c. motor.
When such schemes were first introduced (in the 1970s) they
were only cost-effective in very large sizes (say over 1 MW), but
the break-even point for wound-field motors is falling and
drives with ratings in the hundreds of kW are now becoming
popular ...